Dollar Brand, klezmorim and hemidemisemiquavers

It's no secret - we love music as much as we love words. And we like Garrison Keillor's public radio show, The Writer's Almanac. His anthology of works that have been broadcast in seasons past is aptly titled Good Poems (Viking, 2002).Chapters include "Snow," "Yellow" and "Failure," so we decided to post a few poems from (what else?) "Music."

The Fantastic Names of Jazz
Hayden Carruth

Zoot Sims, Joshua Redman,
Billie Holiday, Pete Fountain,
Fate Marable, Ivie Anderson,
Meade Lux Lewis, Mezz Mezzrow,
Manzie Johnson, Marcus Roberts,
Omer Simeon, Miff Mole, Sister
Rosetta Tharpe, Freddie Slack,
Thelonious Monk, Charlie Teagarden,
Max Roach, Paul Celestin, Muggsy
Spanier, Boomie Richman, Panama
Francis, Abdullah Ibrahim, Piano
Red, Champion Jack Dupree,
Cow Cow Davenport, Shirley Horn,
Cedar Walton, Sweets Edison,
Jaki Byard, John Heard, Joy Harjo,
Pinetop Smith, Tricky Sam
Nanton, Major Holley, Stuff Smith,
Bix Beiderbecke, Bunny Berigan,
Mr. Cleanhead Vinson, Ruby Braff,
Cootie Williams, Cab Calloway,
Lockjaw Davis, Chippie Hill,
And of course Jelly Roll Morton.

Alley Violinist
Robert Lax

if you were an alley violinist

and they threw you money
from three windows

and the first note contained
a nickel and said,
when you play, we dance and
sing, signed
a very poor family.

and the second one contained
a dime and said
i like your playing very much,
signed
a sick old lady.

and the last one contained
a dollar and said,
beat it,

would you:
stand there and play?

beat it?

walk away playing your fiddle?

____________________________________________

Other places:

Hemispherical, our music blog.

All About Jazz, for info. on those names and much more.

The Academy of American Poets website.

Nicholas Humbert and Werner Penzel's Three Windows, a video installation celebrating the life and work of Robert Lax.

Last but not least, definitions of those plaguey words in the title of this post. Look here for "klezmorim" and here for "hemidemisemiquaver." (Note: South African jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim used the nickname "Dollar Brand" on his early recordings.)